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How to Prepare Your Website: Advice for Creating Your Domain Name

Let’s get to the point right away, it’s the 21st century and if you have a business you need a website; even if you have a small business, a website is a necessity in today’s world.   And the first part for any website is the domain name.  The domain name, the name of your website, like ours “E-junkie.com”.  But why do you need a domain name and how do you go about getting one?

Why you need a Domain name:
  • Your domain name is part of your brand, it is your identity to the online community.  More than that, it tells people that you are part of the modern business world and adds to your credibility as a business.
  • As I mentioned above, you need a website, and having your own domain, so your webpage is http://www.yourwebsite.com instead of http://www.host_company.com/yourwebapge.html shows that you are serious about having your company online.

Creating Your Domain Name:
  • When you create your domain name, you do not want to just go with the first thing that comes to mind, if for no other reason it may already be taken.
  • A few things you may want to consider when creating your domain name
    • Make it easy
      • http://www.yourwebsite.com, not
      • http://www.yourbusinessincity.com, or
      • http://www.your-business-in-your-city.com
    • Don’t use internet/text shorthand, it could just confuse people
      • http://www.yourwebsite.com, instead of
      • http://www.you2we8s1te.com
    • Don’t make it too long
      • http://www.yourwebsite.com, as compared to
      • http://www.thegreatestpossiblewebsiteyourbusinesscouldhave.com
    • Finally, consider your target market, what would appeal to them?
      • You want your website, and your domain, to appeal to your potential buyer, and make them feel comfortable with your business.
    • Some people say you should avoid hyphens, but we here at E-junkie don’t see that to be the case.
  • If you are not sure about what to name your site, and your friends and family members are giving you ideas that are bad, non-existent or just snarky, you can use one of these site to help you come up with a name:
    • DomainHole: Domain Hole is a great site, with a load of tools that will help you setup find a domain name and check that it is still available.
    • Namestation: A far simpler system that DomainHole, but it will still help you generate ideas for a domain name.
    • Wordoid: As they say on the site, “made up words, that look nice and feel great.”  Their site can help you come up with a unique word for your site, and if you’re not sure about a business name, maybe a business name too.

Now that you have your idea, you just need to get your domain name.  You can usually expect to pay around $10 - $35 to register your domain name, and there are a lot of places to do that.  And don’t forget that you also have to pay to host your site.  Some places offer lower prices, but usually there is a reason, hidden cost, etc.

With your business, even a brick and mortar one, a website is something you want, and coming up with a domain name is the first step in preparing your website.

We hope this advice is useful to you, and as always, good luck and good sales.